The food was absolutely amazing. We sat at the bar and the staff was extremely friendly and attentive. Great little gem in Dowagiac.

Located in a small town with limited dining options, this spot stood out as one of the highest-rated, so I decided to give it a try. The menu was surprisingly broad, though a few items were unavailable at the time. The food was decent--nothing over the top, but solid and familiar dishes with standard portions. Service was friendly and attentive, which added to the overall experience. The interior is open, with a few wall-mounted booths and a clean, casual vibe. There's not a lot to compare it to in the area, but it does the job well and seems like a go-to local favorite. read more

We've been going to Woodfire since it opened, but lately, we've been very disappointed. Last week I ordered a carbonara dish that I couldn't even eat it tasted so badly. This week, Father's Day, they were out of salmon, calamari, and many other offerings. The only positives are the warm ambiance, and the friendly service at the bar. read more

A great place for really good food, friendly service and great prices. We have been there a few times and it's always great!

Food is fantastic, great for a date night or meeting up with family and friends. The staff is always friendly

Great dining experience. Had dinner there, 7/16/26. I had the superb Italian Pot Roast, my dining partner had salmon on a plank. Generous portions, very good, attentive server. Prices fine for what you get. Will go back! read more

The worst customer service I have ever had. They gave up our table for reservation of 10 and refused to accommodate even though they gave up our reservation. The manager refused to accommodate anything even though the other party had just sat down and lied about it being their reservation. The manager was the rudest person I have ever met. She did not care that they gave up our table. She said we can leave even though they gave up our reservation. Even though the hostess remembered talking to us. Celeste is the manager. Worst customer service and rudest person I have met. read more

Fantastic restaurant! The food and staff are equally good. The bolanagse is delicious .

Food was excellent as well as service and cozy interior! Wine selection was good and our meals were amazing!!!

Easter Brunch was amazing. So much to choose from. Breakfast, Ham, prime rib and many sides, salads and desserts. The staff was awesome. I will be back for the Easter Brunch next year and for delicious food all year. read more

Sadly disappointed as we frequent this restaurant. Waitress was slow and not on top of things. They were not busy so this is not an excuse. This place is slowly going down hill. read more

Nice ambiance for the area. Sat at a great booth but no server. Finally had to ask for one. Very apologetic NYE. Had the seafood medley Mussels,scallops,clams,shrimp with shells and a delicious sauce. However the shrimp and scallops were way overcooked or had been in the queue for a while, 4 of the 5 mussels were tightly closed and 3 of the 6 clams didn't have any meat in them( maybe they fell out in the dish) $40. The pizza looked good from across the way. Wine selection ok. Give this place 3 stars. Needs some refining for the price point but this is rural Michigan. read more

Terrible service Worst run restaurant I've been to Sat at table 20 minutes before we got a menu or a waitress came. Never got one of our appetizers Didn't get our food for over two hours Won't go back read more

The food and desert were excellent. I treated myself for a pre birthday dinner. I enjoy the steak, the spaghetti, the salmon was excellent. read more

I came here me and my lovely wife to celebrate our 5th year Wedding Anniversary. The environment of the place is just so beautiful. They had beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere, it gave romantic nice vibres. We got great seats next to the window to enjoy the inside and outside views. Our table was served by Richard (A.K.A Rich), I gotta say, Rich is one of the best people in USA that served us. He was super professional, knows what he's doing, very mannered and totally up and beyond ! Made our experience to be the best, totally appropriate him. For our orders we had : - Stuffed Mushrooms - Shrimp Alfredo Pasta - Chicken Florentine - Blueberry Mocktails - Turtle Cake It was all for about $93 And everything was phenomenal and delicious! And the food portions were more than great, you leave with leftovers for sure ! And Rich was super nice to wrap up the leftovers for us (which something I rarely see in restaurants) I love this place, we drove about 1 hour for it, but it was totally worth the drive! read more

See all

We celebrated our anniversary on this place. The staff were very friendly and understanding. The food is super delicious. We ordered pasta, stuffed mashroom and lemon chicken Everything was perfect! The stuffed mushrooms is to die for! Very delicious and balanced! We will definitely be coming here soon read more

Pasta Bolognese was out of this world. I also added Italian sausage. Probably one of the best I've had. It was very meaty. Sauce was a perfect consistency. Other members of our party had Shrimp Alfredo and Italiano Pizza. We all enjoyed our meal. A definite place to come back when we are in the area again. read more

See all

My husband and I went to Wood Fire for Valentines Day last night, we had their steak and lobster special and were disappointed that when we received it our food was lukewarm and the steak had lack of flavor which my husbands was over cooked. The last time we were there the food also was lukewarm. However the carrots last night were amazing as well as their homemade salad dressing and salad! read more

Goat cheese appetizer delicious especially the sauce and the bread. Not sure how they do the bread! Chefs roasted ribeye special also very flavorful and cooked perfectly. Service very good until restaurant got full, then some longer waits to see dessert, get bill. Still worth the wait-- excellent overall. read more

While we enjoy the food, twice in the last month there have been drinks on our bill that we did not order. First time I noticed and it was removed. This time I did not look at my bill detail until the next day...$17.00 margarita that was not ordered included in my bill. Exact same item both times...the coincidence is not lost in me. Quick way to lose customers!!! read more

No longer recommending Wood Fire Trattoria. I ordered the salmon with gluten free noodles. When I opened the box it had rice in it, the rice is not gluten free. I told them I had ordered gluten free noodles and the woman told me that they did not substitute gluten free noodles for the rice, I said they have been doing it for the last four months, she assured me they had not. Twice. I then told her I wanted a refund, the man working the oven said they could do gluten free noodles. She took the box back by the kitchen and brought it to me a few minutes later. She stated the sauce was in a cup in the box because it was not melted and told me "You can put it in the microwave to melt it if it isn't melted when you get home." Well it curdled up. I'm sorry that take out orders are an inconvenience for you. The salmon and vegetables were cold, the noodles were slightly warm, I am sure that is the reason the sauce never warmed up. If I wanted to cook tonight I wouldn't have ordered and I won't be ordering again. I was also overcharged or the menu is not correct, read more

This restaurant is phenomenal. They do have gluten free noodles for pasta dishes. My mom and I both had pasta bolognese and it was the best I've ever had. It was so hearty. My brother enjoyed his pizza. His girlfriend really enjoyed her shrimp alfredo. My dad had some pizza from my brother with salad. Three had wines. They said it went well with their entrees. Shannon was our waitress, she was wonderful! She told me that she LOVES the bolognese sauce and said we were going to love it. She wasn't wrong on that!! If you're in town, this is a definite food stop!! Easiest 5 star rating I've given!! read more

Wood Fire Trattoria - Coming into the restaurant. Bar on the right, kitchen on left. - Italian Near Me - Dowagiac, Michigan

Amazing menu - everything sounded delicious. The butternut squash appetizer was outstanding. I had the Barramundi stuffed with crab. So...the fish was good but the crab was more like burned crunchy stuffing. It's served on a wood plank. First off - the plank doesn't fit on the plate. Secondly - you shouldn't serve anything ON the plank you cooked it on. I cook a lot on cedar planks but take it off to plate. Wife had the cheese ravioli. So fresh and delish. So many great things to try so we will be back. The wood fired pizzas look great so does all the pasta. And the ribs. And the desserts. Also - the wine menu is really good for being downtown in a small town. Opus One! Orin Swift. Nice. Ambiance was really nice and service was terrific. Would have been five stars had it not been for that plank and the burnt crunch fish topping. We will definitely be back. I highly recommend this place. read more

Food was amazing and so was the staff. 11/10!!! one of my favorite places! The carrot cake is to die for as well as the bruschetta. Oh! And the baked goat cheese!!! read more

I'm impressed. Probably one of the best meals we have had in a long time. They love mushrooms here and so do we. My bf had the mushroom lasagna. I think I ate half of his meal. I had the halibut with Asian rice and green beans. Amazing. We also had the lobster stuffed mushrooms. Also amazing. We did not drink however they have an extensive martini menu. Maybe next time. We will be returning. read more

Bust So disappointed in this place. Used to come here years ago and the food was spot on. Finally got back to the area and was so excited to have a nice meal at one of our favorite places. Don't get me wrong the cocktails were lit! But the meal was terrible. Our salads were laden with brown and spoiled spring mix. The deep fried gnocchi croutons were nice piping hot but became chewy bombs rather quickly. We ordered the two specials. Halibut and stuffed chicken. Let's start with the chicken. It was dry and over cooked. It was "stuffed" with an asparagus risotto but the risotto was cold and mealy. I sent it back and ordered the wild mushroom fettuccine which wasn't much of an improvement. Now let's talk about that halibut special coming it at $46. That was a disappointment too. Served on a plank which was more kind of like a piece of paneling? Not being funny here it was just a very thin flimsy piece of something. The fish was tasty but as we dug deeper into the fish it was opaque. When we scraped it off the board to put it in the take out box it was down right uncooked. I'm so bummed this place was fantastic. 5 star dining on every visit. But this evening was a great big bust. read more

Amazing food!! Chef Cheryl has it going on!! She has been making amazing food favorites for years!!! Perhaps not the best known, but the Italian roast is A M A Z I N G!!!! All the food is great! Amazing service, sit at the bar if you want to chill and if Chris is the bartender, you will forget your problems. If Chris is not there, no fear, they are all great!! Amazing place in a small town in beautiful MI!!! A must!!! read more

It's clear why customers have kept coming back to this iconic local restaurant for over twenty years: quaint location, friendly service, and amazing food. My boyfriend and I went recently on a busy weekend night. He had never been before, and was really impressed. Even with a full restaurant of 25-30 tables, we were quickly seated without having reservations. Wait staff were friendly and welcoming although it was clear they were hustling to keep up with all the tables. Food came quickly and piping hot. We split a generous and artistic house salad full of vegetables, olives, and feta cheese. No sad pieces of two iceberg leaves passing for a salad here. I got my favorite house specialty: butternut squash ravioli in a butter and brown sugar sauce. Boyfriend reveled in a stacked mushroom lasagna. The sauce for the lasagna was excellent, but didn't have quite the arriabata spice kick we were anticipating (maybe our spice meters have been ruined by eating Indian and Thai food, lol!) That said, we tried each other's dishes and were both impressed. Then came dessert-- lemon cake for me, death by chocolate for him. Both cakes were full of flavor but not sickly sweet. Perfectly balanced frostings and moisture in the cake itself. The prices reflect the quality of the food, but are reasonable for a special night out. Highly recommend! read more

See all

I finally made it here for dinner. We tried the butternut squash ravioli, minestrone soup, margherita pizza, spaghetti and meatball, apple cobbler, and the carrot cake. Everything was good. I like that they carry Round Barn sangria. The décor is nice and our server was great. We were here again for dinner recently. We got the house salad, wings with all the sauces on the side, pork with alfredo noodles instead of potatoes, bread pudding, and chocolate cake. We both liked our food and the bread pudding is my favorite dessert here so far. Same waitress, friendly service. read more

My wife and I chose Wood Fire for dinner based solely on the reviews. We wanted to go someplace new to us, and not immediately close by. First off, the space is wonderful. The distressed hardwood floor and the obviously well aged brick walls lend a warmth to the entire main room. With it being open, it wasn't overly loud, a plus for sure. The large pulley hanging from the ceiling certainly also adds to the charm. When I called for a reservation, I was asked if we wanted a table or a booth. I don't know that has ever happened to us before. We took a booth. Be "warned" however as the booths are a tight fit. That's really the only negative I can think of. We were greeted warmly, and seated immediately. Our server was very polite and did a wonderful job. We started with the prosciutto wrapped scallops. Awesome! I then had the "porterhouse" pork chop, and my wife had the wild mushroom linguini. She had no problem having a couple of the ingredients left out as is was prepared. Beyond adequate portions, and the flavors were just so spot on! I would say it was an excellent dinner! Large wine list, impressive tap list, excellent service and a diverse menu will ensure we return. Give Wood Fire a try. You find something sure to please your palate! read more

Wood Fire Trattoria - The Love Pump from The Livery Brewery, off the large tap list. - Italian Near Me - Dowagiac, Michigan

I've been coming here for years and I have one word for the team. STOP. I have no idea what happened here. This was once a place where I would drive two hours to eat at. I wouldn't walk across the street now. The food was awful, the service was polite but inept, and somebody has installed faux-brick contact paper on the back wall. The entire experience was sub-Olive Garden. Take a snapshot of this place in 2015 and do anything possible to return it to that state. read more

It's been a bit since we checked in on this fabulous place It didn't disappoint. Dinner was amazing!!! read more

Wood Fire Trattoria - Pasta with marinara and meatballs. - Italian Near Me - Dowagiac, Michigan

See all

We love Wood Fire and have gone many times. My fave is the anti pasta salad for 2. It's huge!! Made fresh by your server and it's enough to feed 4! Make sure you ask for the bread plate. Their food is delicious! read more

One of my favorite restaurants! Fresh Italian dishes that are delicious. Highly recommend the Butternut Squash Ravioli. The Pork chop is on point and if you like pasta... ALL OF IT IS PERFECTLY PREPARED! Definitely worth the drive. read more

Wood Fire Trattoria - Pork chop with Cherry Demi - Italian Near Me - Dowagiac, Michigan

See all

Without having to leave our hometown, we found a dining experience that most would travel for. Walking in to the historic building, the wood floor creaks, and you feel the heat of a beautiful woodfire oven with the smell of pizza and steak triggering your tastebuds. As we sat, the area was modern with a historic feel, highlighting some of the original features of the building. Wanting to enjoy our time together, we started with a Portabella appetizer from the specials and Martinis. My wife ordered the Root Beer Bomb and I asked for a fruit drink that was not sweet. Our server suggested the lemon drop with vodka, unsweetened, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and a sugar rim. It was definitely a lemon bomb. The sugar rim made a nice compliment to the sour of the drink. It was great. The Root Beer Bomb was Vanilla Vodka, Rumchata and Root Beer. The Rumchata made it taste like Christmas in your mouth as Dana said. If you are a sipper, don't let this one sit to long, as it warms up it taste more like drinking potpourri. The Stuffed Portabella was two medium size caps stuffed with breading, Black Pepper Bacon Sausage, Fontina, peppers, onions and celery. It was topped with a plain remoulade. The stuffing was tasty but it would have been so much better inside of a pork chop or turkey. The breading was the overpowering flavor and the sauce was good but some creative aioli would have brought it up a big notch. All that being said, they were good. For the main course I ordered the Whiskey Ribeye, rare, from the specials and Dana ordered the Porterhouse Pork Chop, but the star of the night came in my side salad. The homemade Gorgonzola dressing was amazing. Nice chunks of Italian blue cheese in a creamy sauce. I added the salad to my dressing. The idea of shaved Romano and toasted Gnocchi helped me decide on the salad and the dressing option sealed the deal. It was unfortunate that the Gnocchi was a little stale otherwise it would have been a great salad. At a very good pace, our main dishes came out. Both dishes were underdone, but our server quickly remedied the problem and we were soon eating perfectly cooked meats. First glance at our plates, the portion sizes are ridiculous. In most places the higher the price the smaller the cut, not here. The whiskey sauce was the perfect sweet and the mushroom medley was delicious. The steak was like eating whiskey butter coated butter (I thought this place was Italian not French). It was so tender and juicy it was hard to cut. The Pork Chop was gnaw to the bone good but being a white table cloth restaurant, we restrained ourselves from doing it. The Cherry Chutney on the pork chop was good, having pieces of cherry mixed in, the texture and flavor were both good. For our troubles we were offered dessert but we had no room. We really enjoyed our time and were very pleased with the way the staff handled the minor issues. Another bonus was talking to the bartender and realizing they had the best Bourbon in town. He even offered to stock Woodford Reserve Double Oaked for me. That's service. I am glad we finally gave Wood Fire a chance with the new ownership. We have found a place that we can come and relax and get a taste of the big city. Rating: Food: 8/10 (the little things brought this down, stale gnocchi, breading in appetizer) Quality vs Cost: 9/10 (portions and quality matched prices) Presentation: 8/10 (We debated on this one, I said 6 due to outdated Garnishing, wife said 10. They plates were well presented, I would just like to see a more modern approach,) Atmosphere and Ambiance: 8/10 (uniforms brought the ambiance down) Service: 10/10 (great service and follow up with management) Total 4.3 Star read more

See all

Liked it so much on our first visit, we just had to come back the next night. Ravioli appetizer and the Spaghetti Bolognese are excellent choices. We'll be back next vacation! read more

Great food and a fantastic staff. Highly recommend. Always consistent. Definitely worth the drive.

This restaurant is amazing. Great food; great atmosphere; and amazing service. What a gem! It's the kind of restaurant you want in a local area with people that become familiar with you, and serve you the most amazing food. We love it. read more

First time here. Came with In-laws and Uncles. Great food, service, and atmosphere . Will be back.

Very busy - by the time we got to our reservation, there were a few menu items already out of stock. Overall food was good - I had the carbonara and my partner had a pizza. The wood fire pizza was good but not life changing. The carbonara fell a little on the dryer side and not as creamy as I like but still tasty. Wine was great. Overall nice for a date night. read more